"How does one pronouce "Chincoteague"?"
Top 5 Page for this destinationChincoteague by keida84

Just coming to this place struck terror in my heart as I was not sure I could converse with the locals because I did not know how to pronounce the names of their towns. Thank heavens Jill (Jelw) filled us in. The locals say "Chink Teeg" and call Jill's home town of Onancock as "Nan-Cock" The people who make their homes here contract almost every word they speak. It is really quite funny to listen to their speech, I suppose since I was on their turf that I was the one with the accent. I say Chincoteague and pronouce it as "Chink-o-tea-gue". Anyway you look at it it is a mouthful for sure.

In the foreground, a Snowy Egret is in the water, but if you look carefully you can see in the distance, a band of Chincoteague's wild ponies. (My camera has a zoom on it, but it works only when it decides to work, I need to have that repaired). Anyway, It was wonderful to see the ponies in person.

A bit of history about Chicoteague, the Indians named this area "Gingoteague" which meant "Beautiful Land Across the Water". Once the white man came in there were many disputes over the land (why does that not surprise me) and eventually the land was divided and used for a livestock range. The population of Chincoteague Island did not show increase until around 1845, when over 100 families settled and raised cattle and horses. Later on a brick tower was constructed for a lighthouse, that tower still stands today, a sentinel over the shoals of Chincoteague.

Keeping in with the rest of Viginia's Eastern Shore's a vote was taken and the Island of Chincoteague pledged their allegiance to the Union in 1861 in the "The War of Northern Aggression" otherwise known to us Yankees as the "Civil War".

Today, Chincoteague Island is popular with bird watchers with over 260 species of birds, this includes the Canadian Geese, Herons, Snowy Egrets and swans.

The most favorite residents are the wild ponies, which were made famous by Marguerite Henry's book "Misty of Chincoteague". Legend has it that these remaining herds are descendants of horses from a wrecked Spanish galleon. The horses broke out of the ship and swam to shore. Today every July there is the famous "Wild Pony Round-up auction".

I got to meet VT'er Jelw for a quick visit on Sunday morning. Jill is a bright, happy, intelligent woman with compassion and a deep spirituality. I enjoyed every minute of the time we got to spend together.

Here we are on Assateague Island Nattional Seashore and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. There are 37 acres of the wide expanse of this breathtaking beach to explore, there are miles of trails and fresh-water marshes which wend their way through "Loblolly Forests" (The loblolly-shortleaf pine forest association is found primarily on the Coastal Plain.. It is found on moist and poorly drained soils. At higher elevations on the Coastal Plain, it is found on drier soils and often on abandoned farmland.)

What an excellent place this Chincoteague seems to be. That B&B is so beautiful, and the architecture is awesome. Loved your detailed descriptions and great insights. Naturally, you always have wonderful photos to accompany your narratives.